For patients with urinary incontinence, lives are perpetually interrupted by thoughts of ensuring that they have ready access to a restroom. Everyday activities such as attending a theater or sporting event can become unpleasant. Sufferers often begin to avoid social situations in an effort to reduce the stress associated with their condition.
A variety of treatment options are currently available for urinary incontinence. One type of surgical procedure found to be an especially successful treatment option for incontinence in both men and women, is a sling procedure. Sling procedures typically entail surgically implanting a biocompatible implant or “sling” to support the bladder neck or urethra. Sling procedures are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,112,344; 5,611,515; 5,842,478; 5,860,425; 5,899,909; 6,039,686; 6,042,534; 6,110,101; 6,478,727; 6,638,211; and PCT Publication Nos. WO 02/39890 and WO 02/069781.
An implant for placement in a male patient may require greater strength, different (e.g., larger) dimensions, and better retention ability in tissue, relative to implants useful on a female patient. Also, methods of placement of such an implant can involve different tissue paths, incisions, and placement of implant features at alternate anatomy.
United States patent publication 2006/0287571 (U.S. Ser. No. 11/347,047) describes procedures to implant a urethral sling in a male anatomy. Described methods involve placement of a sling below a bulbous urethra, for example in contact with a corpus spongiosum. Steps of exemplified methods include creating a medial (e.g., perineal) incision, dissecting bulbospongiosus muscle to expose corpus spongiosum, and placing a central support portion of a sling in contact with the corpus spongiosum. Extension portions of the sling are extended through tissue paths to locations at which the extension portions can be secured to the patient, to thereby support the sling in place.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/223,846, filed Aug. 8, 2008, by Ogdahl et al., titled SURGICAL ARTICLES AND METHODS FOR TREATING PELVIC CONDITIONS describes, inter alia, methods and devices for treating urinary incontinence in male patients. The methods involve a sling that includes two “soft tissue anchors” at opposite ends of a mesh strip. The sling is placed internally in a male patient through a medial incision, the sling supporting the urethra and the soft tissue anchors being placed internally, e.g., at opposing obturator foramen.
As with other established medical treatments, there is ongoing incentive and benefit in finding still improved treatments for urinary incontinence. Improvements may be in the form of new method steps, improved implants, improved insertion tools, and related systems and procedures.